Summer Lovin
by Dashboardjen
Summary: Rory moved out of her dorm and into an apartment right after her sophomore year. You will never guess who she runs into during her summer class. Trory Ch 5 is up
1. Boxes and Beginnings

Summer Lovin'

**Right, so I obviously own none of the Gilmore Girls Characters, but if you don't recognize it, then maybe I got creative and decided to make my own…but I don't see that happening.**

Chapter 1

Boxes and Beginnings

"I hate packing." Lorelai wined as she stuffed another box full of clothes for her daughter. "I am glad that you are finally moving into an apartment, this way I don't have to pack all of you crap every 9 months." She complained, sitting on the box she just taped up.

"Well Mom, I am sorry for making you work a little, but I promise that you won't have to move me again for at least another year."

"You are lucky you are just moving a few blocks away, anymore than that I would have hired a few strong burly men to help us." Lorelai said as Luke walked in to retrieve yet another box. "Well, aside from Luke." Lorelai finished.

"Seriously, how much stuff can a 20-year-old girl acquire?" He said, picking up her fourth box of clothes.

"I taught her not to throw anything away. Look at this cut-off sweatshirt. After _Flashdance _went out of style, nobody expected the look to come back. Thank goodness I kept this, now Rory gets to re-live my glory days."

"Your glory days? So getting pregnant at 16 and dropping out of high school was the pinnacle of your success?" Rory asked with a grin.

"Hey now, if it was not for this sweatshirt there would be no Rory, so be thankful of it. In fact, I think we should put this in a frame, put a spotlight on it, and light some candles around it. It would make the beginning of a great shrine." Lorelai said with a huge grin.

"You do realize you are crazy don't you?" Luke asked his girlfriend.

"Well, if I acknowledge that I am crazy, does that mean that I am in fact not crazy? People never know if they are crazy when they are in fact crazy, but by me recognizing the symptoms of crazy that means that I am actually quite sane."

"Or all the more insane." Luke said with a laugh.

"Don't even pretend that you don't like it." Lorelai said, swatting him.

Rory took another walk though of her dorm and sighed. "I think that is everything." She said as they picked up her last box. "As much as I hated living in the dorms, I think I am really going to miss it." Rory said, as they walked out of her room and locked the door. "I just have to drop this off with my RA; I will meet you by the car." Rory said, holding up her key.

OOOOOOOO

"Do you think Paris and Marty are already here?" Lorelai asked Rory as they made their way up to Rory's new apartment with the first load of stuff.

"Yeah, they were supposed to move in yesterday, so they should be able to help me settle in." Rory said, reaching her new home, room 256. She reached for the doorknob just as Lorelai fished out her camera.

"Okay, let's get one of you opening the door to your new place." She said, snapping a picture of Rory stepping into her apartment.

The common room was pretty bare except for the craft corner that Paris had already set up and a comfortable looking Laze-y-boy sitting in the corner. Rory had the rest of the stuff for the room that was given to her by Emily her freshman year. Rory looked around the huge room in awe. She remembered touring the place with Marty and Paris a few months ago, but she did not remember how big it was. The floor was solid oak, and the windows were at least 12 feet high. Each room was about twice the size of her last bedroom, which meant that Rory could afford to bring more books with her, and the best part was the walk in closets that they each had.

"Wow kid, you are living in luxury now." Lorelai said with a grin. "These are not like any student apartments I have ever seen."

"I know, can you believe it? I guess once you become an upperclassman you get the best housing." Rory said.

"RORY?" Paris yelled from behind one of the doors. "DID I HEAR RORY OUT THERE?"

"I DON'T HEAR ANYTHING." Marty shouted back through another door.

"GUYS, I'M HERE!" Rory shouted to her two friends.

"OH, I GUESS SHE IS HERE." Marty yelled back. "HI RORY."

"HI MARTY." Rory yelled.

"HEY MARTY, WHY DON'T YOU COME HELP RORY MOVE IN?" Lorelai continued with the shouting theme.

"OH RIGHT." Marty yelled, finally opening his door.

"I forgot how amazing this place was." Rory said to him when he emerged.

"I know, I can't believe that we actually got it. I am so glad that the senior who was supposed to get it went through some sort of mental breakdown at the end of the year, otherwise we would have to suffer through another year in the dorms."

"Oh I know. As bad as it sounds, I am so happy that he had to temporarily leave school. Thank you so much for inviting me and Paris to live here with you." Rory said, giving him a hug.

"Well, why wouldn't I want two beautiful women living with me? Besides, Paris is so insane that she keeps me highly entertained. Anyway, let me help you grab your stuff."

"Thanks, I have about 20 more boxes, and my Grandma is having the big stuff dropped off in about 3 hours."

"Thank God! I was going insane having to talk to Paris and not watch TV." Marty said laughing. "As crazy as she is, I can only take her in small quantities."

OOOOOOO

After the last box was dropped off into Rory's room, Lorelai and Luke said their goodbyes.

"Okay hun, remember you can come home whenever you want. It is summer, don't work too hard."

"Thanks mom, but I don't know how much time I am going to have. Between the internship at the paper, my summer class and the part-time job at the coffee shop, I am going to be booked pretty solid for the next few months."

"I can't believe you are taking on an internship and a job!" Luke said to her.

"Well I didn't have much of a choice, the internship does not pay and I am not about to go another year without money." Rory said with a small smile. "And I had to take the summer class. It is going to be taught by…"

"The most amazing adjunct professor ever, who is only here for the summer from Columbia." Lorelai finished for her daughter.

"So I take it I have said that already?" Rory said.

"Just a few times. I wish I could get that excited about school." Lorelai said giving Rory a hug.

"Anyway, I will see you on Friday at Grandma's. Are you bringing Logan?"

Rory made a face, but quickly masked her initial reaction with a smile. "Um, I don't think so. He is going out of the country this summer. He wanted to go sailing in Europe or something." Rory said with a trace of anger.

"Well, his loss then." Lorelai said smiling.

"Oh please mom. Try to do a better job of hiding your pleasure." Rory said with a sigh.

"Well, I am sorry if I never liked the kid. He was irritating and a complete snob. So does this mean that you guys are done?" Lorelai asked hopefully.

"We are taking a break. He said he did not want me to be alone all summer, so we decided it would be best if we decided to see other people. When he gets back in September we will see what happens."

"He thought you should not be alone _or_ he thought he could not be alone all summer?" Lorelai asked Rory skeptically.

"It does not matter, we are on a break that may be indefinite, that is all you need to know." Rory said, going towards her mother.

"Are you okay with this? You don't sound too upset about it." Lorelai asked, again sounding skeptical.

"I am completely fine. We did not date that long, and when we did finally start the exclusive thing it was too dramatic. I don't need that in my life right now, I am too busy for it. Besides, if I was still with Logan, living with Marty would fare nearly impossible."

"True, and we all love naked boy, so I guess this is for the best." Lorelai said, giving her daughter a hug.

"Well, good luck tomorrow with your first day of class. Call me and let me know how it goes."

"I will. Thanks for the help moving my stuff here." Rory said to both Luke and Lorelai.

"No problem kiddo." Luke said.

"Kiddo?" Lorelai asked him with a wicked smile.

"Oh God, I am never going to live that one down." Luke said reddening.

"Bye guys." Rory said closing the door behind them.

"DO YOU NEED ANY HELP?" Paris shouted to Rory from inside her room.

"NO THANKS, I AM JUST GOING TO PUT MY STUFF AWAY." Rory shouted back, heading to her room.

Thankfully Luke had already set up her bed, and Rory sank down into its comfort. She sighed as she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. She felt horrible for lying to her mother, but she did not want to tell her what had actually happened between her and Logan. She knew that her mother would only gloat in the fact that she was right.

Rory extracted the worn letter from her pocket. She read over its contents for the 8th time that day.

_Dear Ace:_

_I know this is shitty of me, and I know that I promised you more than this, but I also know that this is not in me. It is not possible for me to be in a monogamous relationship at this point. It is not you, it is me. I know that sounds like a stupid line, but it is the truth. I tried to change for you, and I really wanted to, but I guess my reputation preceded me, and I could not escape it. I did not lie when I told you that I loved you, and I did not lie when I told you that you were the one. I hope that someday I will grow up and be worthy of you, but until that day, I am afraid that I will hurt you. I don't blame you if you don't wait for me, but please don't forget me. I am leaving today for Europe; I will be gone all summer. I will look you up when I get back._

_Love,_

_Logan_

Rory crumpled up the paper and threw it on the floor. She knew that Logan doubted their relationship, but she did not expect him to run away from it. She knew that she would not wait around for him. She was not going to give him her heart again, she had already tried that with Dean…twice. They had their chance, and now it was over.

"I'm better this way." Rory said to herself. "He did not appreciate me, and he does not deserve me."

Eventually Rory got up and started unpacking her first box of clothes.

OOOOOO

After four straight hours of unpacking, Rory was grateful for an interruption. When she heard a knock on the door she turned down her music and yelled "come in."

"Hey." Paris said to Rory as she attempted to straighten the rug she just put on the floor.

"Hi." Rory said, avoiding eye contact.

"So I could not help but overhear the tribute to Ani that you have been playing all afternoon." Paris said. "Is something up?"

"No not at all. I will put in something else." Rory said, standing and reaching for one of her many boxes of CDs.

"Good, because if I have to listen to _Untouchable Face_ one more time I think that I may have to break up with Doyle and write off all men."

"Hey, it is a good song." Rory said, putting in her Garbage CD instead.

"I know it is, but it is also a very anti-man song, and it leaves me a little depressed. Thus my question; are you sure everything is okay?"

Rory looked up at her friend. They had gone through so much together that it felt wrong hiding this from her. Rory sighed and reached for the crumpled letter from the floor and handed it to Paris silently.

Paris looked at Rory quizzically and read the note. After her eyes widened in shock, Paris smoothed out the note, folded it and placed it on Rory's bed. She then went over to her CD player and put her Ani Difranco CD back in the CD player and turned up _Untouchable Face_.

"I am not any good with this emotional stuff, but if you need me, I am here." Paris said walking out of her room.

Rory urged herself to keep her tears in as she put the note into her Logan box and slid it under her bed.

"RORY, we are going to get some Chinese food, come with us would you?" Marty asked through her closed door.

"Yeah, that sounds great Marty. Give me a minute and I will be right out." Rory said, rushing over to her mirror to remove any tell-tale marks of her crying spree.

OOOOOO

After dinner, Rory locked herself back in her room to finish unpacking and to get ready for her class tomorrow. She put her books into her bag along with a new folder and notebook that she had already labeled with the class name, room number and time. Her clock read 11:30 by the time she gave up sorting through her remaining boxes and went to bed. She checked to make sure her alarm was set for 8am and fell into a restless sleep.

Rory showered and changed into her short brown skirt and fishnets partnered with her knee high boots and clingy t-shirt she departed for her morning class. She was determined to look good her first day, after all, she was single again.

On her way to the classroom, she made a quick stop at her beloved coffee cart to order her beverage of choice and then finished it within the short distance to her class.

Rory looked up at the building, shifted her bag and entered, preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best.

She was still quite early when she reached the classroom. There were only a few other students in the room, none of whom she recognized. Rory decided to grab a table in the middle of the room. Each table sat two people, and Rory was not in the mood to initiate small-talk at this early hour, so she chose solitary over fakery.

A few more students filed in, also choosing desks by themselves. The class remained awkwardly silent as the minutes ticked closer to class time. Rory looked around; again not recognizing a sole, and turned back to the book she had started reading.

With only three minutes until class was scheduled to begin, Rory was convinced that she was doomed to spend the summer without a friend in class when she heard someone drop their bag off beside her.

"Well well well," he said to her. "If it isn't Mary."

OOOOOOOO

**Okay guys, let me know what you are thinking of this story. I just came up with this idea last night, so it is kinda thrown together, but let me know if you want it to continue. I am a huge Rogan fan, but I wanted to write a Trory for once, just to see what would happen. This is my first Trory, and actually only my 3rd fic, so reviews would rock!**


	2. Déjà vu

**Thank you all so much for the reviews! I am glad that you are all enjoying the story thus far. I found it especially entertaining that some of you think this is such a great Trory when I have not even really gotten to any Trory! Haha, I loved it!**

**Also, for those who thought the note from Logan was un-Logan like…I just had to throw it in there to explain his absence. I am kinda bitter at his character right now after last night's episode. I was in love with Rory and Logan, but now this new Rory is starting to irritate me…so I thought I would write a Trory instead, because they are just as good, if not better!**

Chapter 2

Déjà vu

Rory looked up startled. She felt her heart stop and her stomach flip. "There is no way it could be him…" she thought as her eyes focused on the one and only Tristan Dugrey.

"TRISTAN?" She yelled in shock. "What are you doing here?" She was completely startled by his sudden appearance; he was the last person she expected to show up in her modern fiction class.

"Hey Rory, I am glad to see I still have this affect on you." He said with a wink.

Rory was too excited at seeing his familiar face to take offense to his comment.

"I did not know you even went to Yale!" She said to him as he took the seat by her.

"Yeah, I don't. I am at home for the summer working for my dad. One of his friends is teaching this course and he suggested I take it since I was going to be in town." He said.

"Your dad is friends with Earl Chapin?" Rory said, again in shock.

"Yeah, my dad's firm represents him and they have become really close over the years. He is a great guy; it should be a fun class."

"I know it will be. Have you seen the reading list? Contemporary fiction…who knew you could take a class where reading newly published best-sellers was required?"

Earl came in the room during Rory's speech, unannounced to her. He stood in front of Rory and Tristan's desk with an amused smile on his face. "So Tristan, who is your friend here? It would appear that I have a fan."

Rory flamed red in embarrassment. "Ah, hello Mr. Chapin, I did not realize you were standing there…My name is Rory Gilmore, and yes I am a fan." She said looking up at his towering presence.

"Well it is nice to meet you Miss Gilmore. I do hope that you and Mr. Dugrey enjoy this class; I am counting on him to provide a Harvard educated opinion. Us Yalites seem to take a different stance on contemporary literature. I hope that his insight will make this class more interesting then I already hope to make it." Earl said, walking back to the front of the room to his desk.

"That goes for all of you. I am only sharing one viewpoint with you, we all have our own unique interpretation of literature, and I hope that you will all feel comfortable by the end of this course to share those opinions with all of us. Our backgrounds shape the way we read these novels, and I hope that with each of your histories you will be able to shine new light to my own interpretation of the stories as well as your colleagues."

Rory could not help but smile at this comment. She loved when teachers spoke to her as equals, and not down to her as mere students. She was excited to start this class, and even more excited to learn more about the man who was seated beside her.

"Okay class, as juvenile as this sounds, I would like for each of you to interview the student sitting next to you. I want you to write a short bibliography on them for the next class. This bibliography should be about the extent of which you see in a book jacket. So I don't want anything that is beyond two pages double spaced. One page would be perfect. We will present tomorrow in class, and by Wednesday I expect you to be 100 pages into _The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time_. I will give you the rest of the time to work with your partners and formulate information for their bibliography. Next class I will hand out the syllabus and give my introduction, but first I think it is best that we all make friends in this class. It is a proven fact that students who are friends with at least one person in a class get better grades. Since I want you all to succeed, I am going to help facilitate these friendships. Okay, so you have the next two hours. You don't have to stay here, you can go off campus or to a coffee shop, it is early, and I know we could all use a caffeine boost."

"Well Mary, it looks like I get the pleasure of writing about you…my former Chiltonee."

"I think this will be nothing if not intriguing." Rory said with a small smile. She was dying to find out more about what Tristan had been up to. From what she gathered, after military school he had went off to Harvard, apparently pre-law and would most likely take over the family firm.

"I think I saw a Starbucks just off campus…"

"You read my mind." Rory said, gathering her bag and standing.

The two gave a wave to Earl as they stepped out of the classroom and into the early morning haze of summer.

Rory ordered a venti mocha frappachino and Tristan followed suit, ordering the same.

"Hey Mar, it is on me." He said pulling out his wallet.

"Oh no, I got it, that is fine." Rory said, paying for both drinks.

"You did not have to buy mine too." Tristan said, sounding close to annoyed.

"Well, you will just have to buy mine next time." Rory said with a smile.

Tristan was silent for a minute, thinking about her last comment. Next time. He hoped that she would allow there to be a next time.

"Right, so how do you want to do this?" Tristan asked. "Do you want to talk first and then I will go after?" He asked.

"Um, sure. That works for me. So…where do you want me to begin?"

"Well, how about you state your full name for me and your demographics…where you grew up, where you went to school…that sort of stuff." Tristan said, smiling at the ridiculousness of this situation.

"Well, my name is Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, but everyone calls me Rory. I grew up in a small town called Stars Hallow with my mother, Lorelai. I was named after her and grew up idolizing her. She is not only my mother, but my best friend. We share our lives and we share our name." Rory said with a smile.

"So you and your mom seem to have a pretty amazing relationship. Do you want to tell me more about that?" Tristan asked, interested in her family life. Rory had never really told him anything about her mother, but he had seen her around once in a while, but never really had a conversation with the woman that Rory worshiped.

"Well, my mom had me when she was 16 years old. I was the only constant in her life from that point on, and we learned to fend for ourselves early on. She would do anything for me and she has. Now that I am getting older, our relationship has changed…I don't adore her the way I did when I was younger…I don't know…things changed when I went to college. I still look up to her in every way, but I also appreciate her more for what she has taught me rather than what she does. I don't know if that makes any sense." Rory paused, thinking about everything that had happened between her mother and herself. After she slept with Dean there was an undeniable jarring that took place between her mother and herself. Logan just added to it. She hoped now that she and Logan were through; things with her mother would begin to normalize. She hated their cordial relationship they had now and longed for things to return to normal.

"Anyway, I went to school in Stars Hallow up until my sophomore year of high school. I managed to get into a very exclusive private school called Chilton. My Chilton years were a living hell. I did not get along with any of my fellow classmates and I did not fit into the socialite mentality everyone carried there. I knew I had to suffer through it though, because it had always been my dream to go to Harvard. Once it came time to actually decide on a college though, I ended up choosing Yale because it seemed like a better fit. From there, I roomed with my once mortal enemy Paris and declared my major in journalism and now here I am." Rory finished lamely.

"You live with Paris?" Tristan asked shocked.

Rory let out a little laugh. "Yeah, surprisingly after you left things between the two of us cooled off. We were actually almost friends when we graduated. When I moved in to the dorm freshman year I had no idea that she would be waiting for me though. It was a shock, but we are actually really close now. She is one of my two best friends here."

"So you are still living with her then?" Tristan asked interested in this new development.

"Yes, we actually just moved into an apartment over the weekend with my friend Marty. It is such an amazing place; I still can't believe that we managed to get it."

Tristan felt his heart drop at the mention of this Marty guy. "So Marty is your boyfriend?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"Oh no, not at all. Marty is my other best friend here. He is an amazing guy, but I just can't see him as anything other than a brother-type. I know he wishes we were something more, but you just can't create chemistry you know? I think it would be easier if I was attracted to him, I at least know he is a decent guy that won't leave me out of panic and run to Europe." She finished bitterly.

"Okay, well that sounded like a tough subject. Do you want to delve deeper there?" He asked, wanting to know more about this mystery man that broke her heart.

"Oh no, it was nothing. We did not date that long and it is over now, so I don't think it is important enough to put in my bibliography."

"So are there any guys that should be included?" He tried again.

"Umm, well there is Luke. He has been the only real male constant in my life. He is now dating my mother, and I suspect they will marry soon…at least I hope so. He owns the local diner in Stars Hallow, and he has been like a father to me. My own dad was never around. He came in and out of my life as he pleased. I used to hope that he would get back together with my mom and we would live happily ever after, but now I know that it wont ever happen and that would not be happily ever after anyway. And no, I am not seeing anyone if that is what you were really getting at with that question." Rory said with a sad smile.

Tristan felt his heart leap with her last statement. He was embarrassed that she still had this affect on him after four years, but he was also happy to see that some things never change.

"So, what are your ambitions? What do you want to do after college?" Tristan asked, steering away the obviously touchy subject of boyfriends.

"Well, I am still working to become an overseas correspondent. I want to travel and write and see the sights while telling others of my findings. I want to see the places that I have read about. I want to experience things that I have only dreamt about. I want to get away from Stars Hallow and spread my wings." Rory said, her eyes wide with shock.

"What?" Tristan asked confused about her expression.

"It's just that I have never said that before. I guess that I always thought that I would end up in Stars Hallow…or at least I never thought that I wanted to get away…" Rory said.

"Well, sometimes when you start rambling your deepest thoughts come out. You are bigger than Stars Hallow Rory, you are bigger than anyplace." He said smiling.

"Well, hopefully I can find something that will appease me." She said with a laugh. "Anyway, we should get to you now. What have you been up to since leaving Chilton? What were you like before Chilton?" Rory asked extremely interested. She never really knew anything about him, except for the front that he always gave off at school.

"Well, let's see. My full name is Tristan Janlan Dugrey. I am the only child of the Dugrey "kingdom" and I am set to follow in my fathers footsteps. I went to private schools my entire life, and was forced into military school after an incident involving a safe. I graduated from the school with honors and with my father's connections was accepted to all three major Ivy League schools on the east coast. My father pushed Yale, but I wanted to get further away and figured that Boston was a good choice. I am pre-law, and hope to graduate next year and get into Yale's law school. Well, I don't hope, my father does, but when you are born into the Dugrey family you are forced to do things that you don't necessarily agree with. It might not even be that bad once my father retires."

"So you are going to do the law school thing and do as your father wants?" Rory asked completely shocked.

"Yes. I don't have much of a choice. I have grown up since Chilton and have accepted my responsibilities. I guess that military school took the rebellion out of me."

"But you won't be happy as a lawyer, I know you Tristan, you won't obey your father forever." Rory said.

"No Rory, I don't have a choice. It is either I obey my father or I am disowned. If he cuts me off I am out of school and I am on my own….anyway, lets stay away from my father, he only depresses me."

"Oh okay, no problem. I totally understand." Rory said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, I know you do." He said giving her a small smile.

"Okay, well then how about your personal life? Are you seeing anyone special?" She asked, following a similar line of questioning, feeling her cheeks redden with the question.

"Um, no not really. I guess I date casually, but nobody special. I have not had a girlfriend in years; I guess I have not found the right girl."

"So you no longer date any girl that looks your way, you are going to Harvard and you are going to take over for your father…what happened to the Tristan that I disdained from Chilton?"

"He got a clue." Tristan said, turning in his seat to look at Rory full on. "Look Rory, I am really sorry about the way I behaved back in high school. I was immature and stupid. I just want you to know that I am not that guy anymore. I never want to be that guy again, and I regret everyday that I chose to treat you like I did."

"Well thanks Tristan, but it is water under the bridge. It seems as though we have both changed since then. As long as you don't resort back to treating me like a first grader, I think this summer won't be half bad."

"I hope not. I have wanted to tell you I was sorry for a long time. When I first got to Harvard I looked for you at all the coffee stands and in all of my classes, but I eventually found out you were at Yale. I thought for sure I would see you around. I hoped I would. There was so much I wanted to tell you. You are an amazing girl, and I am so sorry that I made your life a living hell back in high school. I would love it if you would want to start over? Maybe we could be friends?" Tristan asked sincerely.

Rory stared back at him not knowing what to say. Did she want to be friends with Tristan? Could she be friends with Tristan? What would Paris say? What would Marty say?

"I would love to be friends with you Tristan." Rory said, for once putting her own feelings ahead of others.

"Good…so maybe we could start by me taking you out for lunch?" He asked, looking at his watch that has already passed noon.

"I am starved." Rory said, agreeing to lunch.

"Well you live around here, any place you recommend in particular?"

"There is a pub that is just a few buildings down; they serve good sandwiches and coffee. We could go there for a bite."

"That sounds great." Tristan said, standing up from the stool and throwing out his empty cup. He walked to the door and held it open for Rory to go through first and the two of them walked down the street to eat.

After the two ordered lunch they fell into an easy pattern of communication as if they had never lost touch.

"So aside from class what are your other summer plans?" Tristan asked Rory.

"Well, I am interning at a local paper, I am not getting paid for it though, so I also took a job at a coffee shop on campus that I start on Wednesday."

"Wow and taking a summer class. That sounds like it is going to be a fun summer." Tristan said sarcastically. "It will not leave you much time for a social life."

"Well, fortunately, my social life will be able to sustain itself for one summer. I just hope that I will be busy enough to keep my mind off of…"

"Off of what?" Tristan asked.

"Oh, it is not important. Just off of things."

"Right." Tristan said, not wanting to push it, but wanting to hear more about what had happened to her.

"Anyway, tell me about your summer plans. You are going to be working with your dad? That should be a good experience!"

"I guess it is my father's way of getting me trained in so after I get out of law school I will be able to start working immediately after I pass the Bar." Tristan said, getting cut off by a yell.

"Rory?" Someone called to her from across the bar.

"Hey, is that Rory?" The same voice asked.

"Rory, do I know a Rory?" A distinctive Australian voice answered.

"RORY GILMORE!" Rory heard her name being yelled and turned in her stool.

"Colin, Finn, hi." She said without much enthusiasm.

"Fancy seeing you here." Finn said, finally placing Rory as Logan's girlfriend.

"So you are sticking around this summer?" Colin said, making his way toward the table.

"Yeah, I still have the internship and I am taking a summer class, plus I got a job." Rory said, shifting her eyes away from him.

"Are you still working for Logan's dad?" Colin asked.

"Not anymore. I am working in the newsroom now. I wanted to write more-so than shadow anyway. Oh hey guys, this is my friend from high school, Tristan this is Colin and Finn." Rory said, making the routine introduction.

"Oh hey guys, nice to meet you." He said, shaking hands with the two men.

"Anyway, so we are having a party this weekend, Logan wanted to get drunk and party, and we don't really need an excuse to do that…so we rented out a bar and putting everything on his dad's card. We were actually just planning it today, so I don't think he told you about it yet, but were you planning on coming? You can bring Tristan too. It should be fun." Colin said to Rory.

"Wait. Logan is here?" Rory asked confused.

"Oh no, he is not here, here…he is back at our place. He is in charge of the guest list, so he is calling people from home." Finn said.

"Right." Rory said, her insides boiling over. "What bar is it at? I will try to come." She said through clenched teeth.

"It is at Maxwell's and it starts at 10 on Saturday. Bring a friend or two, the more the merrier." They said walking away.

"What was that all about?" Tristan asked, picking up on Rory's obvious discomfort.

"Those were my ex's best friends." Rory said.

"Oh, well that is always awkward." Tristan said, not understanding the full depth of the problem.

"No, you don't get it. Logan said he went to Europe for the summer…but apparently he did not plan on me sticking around." Rory said, near tears.

"Anyway, do you want to go to this party on Saturday?" She asked him trying to brighten up.

"You actually want to go?" He asked completely confused.

"Well, not really, but I want to go to see Logan and set him straight, and I could really use a friend after its over."

Tristan looked at Rory, hesitant to agree. He did not want to be her rebound and he did not want to pick up the pieces of her broken heart after she confronted this Logan guy…but he also did not want to say no to her.

"Okay, I will pick you up at 11." He said after a minute.

**Blah blah blah! This is a filler chapter, so there is really nothing too juicy. I wanted to get in Tristan's history, and I figured one of these generic first day of class assignments was a good way to get it done. Anyway, let me know what you are thinking about this story thus far and if you want to see it go a certain direction. I like to take all sides into consideration. **

**Oh yes, and don't worry about Logan, they are done, but I did not like the fact that it was unsettled, so I thought I would throw him back in for good measure. **


	3. Where do we go from here?

**So I should be studying for my last college finals, but meh, I would rather update my story for all of you, my faithful readers. Because I am such a nice person, you should repay this favor by…REVIEWING! Athank you**

Chapter 3

Where do we go from here?

"PARIS!" Rory shouted as soon as she stepped through the door. "ARE YOU HERE?" She yelled again, hoping to speak to her as soon as possible. There was so much she had to say to her, and she did not know where to begin, but wanted to get it out as soon as she could.

"What Gilmore?" Paris said, stepping out of her room, looking rather disheveled. "You interrupted me and Doyle, this better be good."

"I will just talk to you later I guess. Go back to Doyle." Rory said, not wanting to think about what she had interrupted.

"Well it is too late now; come sit, tell me what is going on." Paris said, pulling her robe tighter around her and sitting on the couch.

Rory took a deep breath and began retelling the day's events to Paris. Once Paris accepted the fact that Tristan was going to be hanging around, she finally let sink in the fact that not only had Logan lied to her, but he had done a poor job at it.

"I can't believe that Logan would do something like that!" Paris said, jumping up in anger. "I thought he really liked you. You two got along so well, I thought you would be the first to get him to settle down."

"Well, as much as I don't want to say it…I should have listened to my mom. She told me that you can't change people like him. It was not in me to do the casual relationship, and it is not in him to commit. Because of that it would never work. It is my own fault for forcing him into something he did not want to do." Rory grumbled.

"Rory, don't say that. It is not your fault. You did not force him into committing, and you did not force him into leaving either. This is in no way your fault. You told him you wanted to be friends, and he suggested commitment, he is an ass for hurting you in this way and he is an even bigger ass for not being able to confront you about it. Instead he writes you a horrible letter that is not even true and hopes that you are not around to see its repercussions. I think you should go to his party and kick his ass back to China Town." Paris said in a huff.

Rory could not help but laugh at her last statement. "You know, I want to be the bigger person in all of this. I want to go to the party and play it cool and not even let him know that he hurt me, but then another part of me does want to kick his ass. I just don't know which part of me is going to win. I want to see him to make him hurt too. I want to rip his heart out and stomp on it like he did to me, but more importantly; I want him to know that I know and that he will not get away with treating me like this. You do not mess with a Gilmore!" Rory said, standing up and heading to her room.

Rory sat on her bed trying to come up with a plan of attack. She had to do something big. She wanted him to hurt, she wanted him to be the one crying, and she wanted him to mourn the loss of their relationship while she moved on to other people.

There was a knock on her door and she looked up in time to see Doyle poke his head in. "Hey Rory, can I talk to you for a bit?" He asked her sincerely.

"Um yeah, I guess Doyle, come in." She said unsurely.

"So Paris told me about what Logan did. And she told me that you want to get back at him…and I thought that maybe we could work together to formulate a plan. I was thinking I could abuse my power and get something printed about him in the paper." He said, wide eyed.

Rory laughed. "Thanks Doyle, but I know Paris put you up to this, and I don't think I really want to stone him in public like that. I mean I want to get him back, but I don't want to get him back in print."

"WHAT?" Paris said, storming into the conversation, obviously listening through the door. "Why would you not want to do that to him? He hurt you Rory; you can do so much damage to his reputation with the help of Doyle."

"I think I can do just as much damage to his reputation without the help of Doyle." Rory said, leaning in to discuss her plan with her two friends.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I can't believe the first week of school is over. Is it just me, or did this week fly by?" Tristan asked Rory as they stood up from another interesting class session.

"Not really, I think this has been one of the longest weeks of my life." Rory admitted.

"Are you sure you still want to go tomorrow?" Tristan asked, knowing the source of her concern.

"Yes, I really want to confront him, and I really need a friend there to help me get over it." Rory said with a small smile.

"And you are sure you want me to be that friend?" Tristan asked once again.

"Yes Tristan! I told you that our past is our past. I want to be friends with you, but you are making it hard always second guessing me!"

"I just wanted to make sure…I mean, we have quite a history, and you are willing to just forgive and forget. It seems almost too good to be true."

"Oh come on now Tristan, I am not that much of a find. You act as though I am as good as they get." Rory said, pushing him without much force.

A million thoughts ran through Tristan's mind, but he remained silent to those. "Okay, maybe I feed your ego too much." He said instead, knowing that she was not ready to hear the truth and he was not ready to tell her. He wanted to tell her everything…from loving her in high school, to talking to Earl and seeing her name on the class list and asking him to do him a huge favor by adding his name to the roster…but he knew that it was too soon to say all of this…too soon to be open with his feelings…too soon to reveal the real reason he had chosen Harvard…

Tristan walked Rory back to her apartment, something that had become a tradition for them over the past week. "Okay, well I will pick you up tomorrow around 10." He said, turning away.

"Hey Tristan?" Rory asked, forcing him to turn back to her.

"Yeah?" He said, his blue eyes meeting the blue in hers.

"Do you maybe want to go out to dinner before the party? I know I will be ready to go around 6 and I will just be sitting there waiting for you for the next 4 hours dreading the party, at least this will give me something fun to look forward to."

"Oh, umm, yeah sure we could go out." He said, feeling his stomach flip at the offer.

"So 6 then?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, 6." Tristan said, a smile dancing on his handsome features.

OOOOOOOO

"Please don't tell me you are going to wear _that_?" Paris asked, sneaking a peak through Rory's door.

"What is wrong with this dress?" Rory asked angrily.

"Well for one, it looks like it is from the 90s AND it looks too good girly. You are going out with Tristan Dugrey to make Logan mad, you can't wear that."

"I am NOT going out with Tristan to make Logan mad." Rory said defensively.

"Sure you are not, and I am not abrasive." Paris said, flinging open Rory's closet to reveal her stash of clothes.

Paris rummaged through the walk in closet for a few minutes before settling on her selection.

"Okay, this is what we are going to do. You are going to wear this skirt" she said, holding up a tiny black mini skirt that Rory forgot to return to her mother. "With this shirt" Paris continued, holding up a flame red tube top. "And I want you to wear your black knee-high boots with your black fishnets."

Rory could not help but laugh at the choice of outfit. "What is so funny about that Gilmore?" Paris shouted at Rory, obviously annoyed at her laughter.

"Well, I could wear that, if this was a Halloween party and I wanted to dress like a hooker. There is no way I am going to wear that outfit Paris, look at it!" Rory laughed again, tears streaming down her eyes.

"Fine, I will pick something else out, it is not like you don't have a million outfits in here." Paris said, going back into her closet. After another minute or two, she came back out, this time holding only one hanger. "Okay, I think you will like this one." She said pulling out the dress she had selected. The tags still hung from the red silk, indicating its newness. Rory had almost forgotten about that dress…almost. She had stuck it in the back of her closet to forget about it and what it meant. The dress was beautiful; she had picked it out a few weeks back to wear out with Logan after they both finished their finals. They had planned on going out to eat, and then he was going to get them a hotel in New York for the night. The dress was more revealing than she would normally choose, but with Logan, she felt like she could better pull off this look.

"I don't know if I should wear that." Rory said honestly.

"Why not? Look at it, it is gorgeous. It is silk! Look at the cut, and the length. It screams sex. It will make Logan drool, and it will remind him that he is a dumb-ass for calling it quits with you." Paris argued.

"Yes, but that dress was for a special occasion…that won't be happening now." Rory said, hoping that Paris would get the idea.

"So what if you bought it for Logan? That is all the better. Why not wear it for him and make him crazy with jealousy and anger? It is perfect Rory. You can wear this with a pair of black heels and you will be the belle of the ball."

Not wanting to argue with Paris, Rory sighed and took the dress from her hands. She ripped the tags off and stepped into her closet to change. Rory emerged from the closet dressed in the silk dress to have Paris greet her wide eyed.

"What?" Rory demanded after seeing Paris' expression.

"It's just…wow. You look good Gilmore." Paris said, closing the closet door so Rory could admire her reflection in her mirror.

Rory glanced at the dress, feeling a familiar sinking sensation settle in her stomach. She knew that the dress would look good, that is why she got it in the first place, but something about wearing this dress to a party to get back at Logan just felt wrong.

"Okay, now let me do something with this hair of yours." Paris said, expertly knotting her hair into an elegant twist.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Rory asked, in shock.

"20 plus years of attending Geller functions has taught me how to do my hair in a manner that shocks the parents." Paris said as she teased up Rory's hair into a fun, sexy style. "I think you should go for smoldering eyes. The darker the better." Paris said, sifting through Rory's makeup looking for her black eye shadow. With the ease of a professional Paris applied Rory's shadow, eyeliner and fake lashes, making Rory look older and sexier.

"Okay, let me put some blush on you and you should be ready. What time is Tristan coming?" Paris asked.

"He will be here any minute" Rory said glancing at her alarm clock noting the time.

As if on cue, the buzzer went off indicating Tristan's arrival.

"Hey Marty, can you get that?" Rory yelled out from under Paris' care.

"Hey is Rory ready?" They heard Tristan ask Marty.

"Rory, Tristan is here, are you ready?"

Rory emerged from her room followed by Paris to see Tristan waiting for Rory with a bouquet of roses.

"Hi Rory, you look…wow." Tristan said, going up to Rory to give her a hug.

Rory caught the exchanged looks between Paris and Marty as they stepped apart.

"I…umm…didn't know exactly what this was, but I thought I would get you flowers anyway." Tristan said, shifting uncomfortably.

"They are beautiful, thank you. No guy has ever really brought me flowers before, this is really sweet." Rory said blushing.

"Will you guys get out of here already?" Paris said ushering them out of the room. "Give me those Rory; I will put them in a vase in your room." Paris said taking the flowers out of her hands.

"Thanks guys. I will see you later." Rory said, walking out of the apartment.

"Don't give me that look Marty, they are just friends." Paris said.

"If that's the case, what is with the roses?" He asked her.

"Rory just got dumped by one of the biggest names on campus, only to find out that he lied to her and he is in town throwing a party that she was not to know about. I think he did it as a means to take her mind off of the horridness of the situation. Now be nice, Tristan is a good friend of mine, we have known each other for years." Paris said, as she extracted a vase and put the beautiful flowers on Rory's bedside table.

OOOOOOO

Rory sat uncomfortably at the table looking down at her half-eaten burger. She and Tristan sat in awkward silence most of the evening, not knowing what to say or how to say it.

"I just…

"Are you…

"You go first." Tristan said to Rory as they both started talking at the same time.

"Okay, um, I just wanted to thank you for doing this for me." Rory said to Tristan. "It really means a lot to me that you would sacrifice your Saturday to help me out."

"It is not a sacrifice Rory. I want to hang out with you." Tristan said with a smile. "This may not be the most ideal of situations, but if you need me to be here, then I will be."

"Just don't let me do anything stupid tonight okay?" Rory asked with pleading eyes.

"Rory, could you ever do anything stupid?" Tristan asked smiling.

"You would be surprised. Logan seems to bring out that side of me. Anyway, just make sure I don't consume too much alcohol, that seems to do the trick right there."

Tristan looked at his watch and noticed the time ticking nearer to the dreaded hour. "So are you ready to do this?" He asked her concerned. "If it is horrible, we can leave right away and do something else."

"Okay, sure. I think that would probably be best. I am sure after I see Logan; I won't really want to stick around for much longer." Rory said, reaching for her purse. "How much do I owe you for dinner?"

"Oh no, it's on me. I am taking you out remember?" Tristan said reaching for his wallet.

"Okay, but if we go out after the party, whatever we do is on me. I just started a new job and have money in tips, so don't worry about it." Rory said, with a smile.

"How is the new job going by the way?"

"Really good. I get to work with my favorite food all day, what can be better than that?"

"Food?" Tristan questioned.

"Well, yeah, pretty much. It is the nectar of my being." Rory smiled as they got out of the booth.

"I think I missed that drama of yours most." Tristan said, as they left the restaurant and walked the two blocks down the road to Maxwell's.

Rory hesitated outside of the door, holding her breath, debating weather or not she wanted to enter.

"You want to do this?" Tristan asked her, noting her look of apprehension.

"I think I have to, I don't really want to." Rory said looking away from him.

"Here." Tristan said, holding out his hand to take hers. "I am not going to leave your side; you have nothing to worry about." Tristan said, his heart flipping as Rory's fingers laced with his.

"Thanks" Rory whispered as he held open the door for her.

The couple walked in and was bombarded with the loud music of the band performing and the insulting smells of tobacco and other illegal drugs wafted toward them.

Rory looked like a deer caught in head-lights as she stood trapped in the busy room. She looked around frantically, debating weather she wanted to see Logan right away or not.

A waitress walked by with a tray of shots. She offered a drink to the pair and Rory accepted eagerly. She whole-heartedly took the shot and replaced it for another. After finishing the second shot, she looked towards Tristan who smiled at her, and steadied her hand.

"It's okay Rory. You can do this." Looking into his deep blue eyes, Rory was able to resist taking a third shot and turned to walk deeper into the bar. In doing so, she walked straight into Robert.

"Rory, hello." He said his voice deep and brooding. "Who is your friend?" He asked, looking at the man who was still holding her hand.

"Robert, this is my friend Tristan, Tristan this is Robert. He is one of Logan's friends."

"Oh right. Nice to meet you Robert." Tristan said, giving him a slight wave with his free hand as Rory dragged him further into the party.

Rory cringed as the familiar faces around her smiled and laughed like nothing was wrong. The deeper she got into the party, the more familiar the faces became. Until she stood, directly in front of a very drunk looking Finn and Colin.

"Rory, you made it." Colin said awkwardly.

"Rory's here? Are you sure? Didn't they break up?" Finn said, turning around to see an angry looking Rory right behind him. "Oh hi there Rory."

Rory could feel her body tense up. She took a deep breath and held it while she tightened her grip on Tristan's hand. The two boys finally took a step to the side, to reveal a very drunk Logan, sitting with a very intoxicated blonde.

Logan looked up from the girl's body to see who his friends were talking to. His blood-shot eyes focused in on Rory. Rory with her own blonde. Someone who he had never seen before. Logan stood up, forgetting about his blonde friend to further investigate the situation before him.

"Ace." Logan said, not knowing how to address this circumstance. "I thought you were going home for the summer?"

"Yeah, and I thought you were going to Europe. It looks like both of our plans changed." She said eyeing up the blonde.

"About that…I umm, well. I hope you don't hate me. I tried so hard to change for you; it's just that I am not the kind of guy who can do commitment. I am sorry if I hurt you, but I wanted to end it sooner rather than later when we became even more attached." Logan said, again, letting his eyes focus in on Tristan. "Hey man." He said, finally acknowledging Rory's date.

"Hi" Tristan said, not knowing what to say in this awkward situation. He could feel Rory's nails embed themselves into his hand, but he was too afraid to let her go, so he dealt with the pain.

"So who is this guy?" Logan said, speaking to Rory as if Tristan was not standing beside her.

"This is Tristan. Tristan, this is Logan, I work on the paper with him." Rory said, not giving him the satisfaction of calling him her ex.

"Oh, is that how you are going to play it?" Logan asked her bitterly.

"I am not playing it anyway, you work on the paper with me, and that is the extent of our relationship." Rory said, turning on her heel and walking away. After retreating a few feet she felt Logan grab her arm and spin her around.

"You did not have to come here and flaunt the fact that you are over me. I am glad that you found someone else, and I hope you two are very happy. I hope that he is able to be someone that I won't ever be to you, and I hope that he does not take you for granted like I did." Logan said to Rory, his eyes filled with sadness.

"I am not flaunting anything. I wanted to come here to show you that I know what you are up to and I see through you. You are not the cool and collected guy that you try to be, and I want you to know that I know your lies and I am done with you. Forever. Have a great summer, and good luck with the rest of your life."

Rory spun around again, heading towards the door. "Come on Tristan, let's go."

**Right-o, well that marks the end of Logan in this story. At least his actual appearance. I am sure he will be talked about in depth from this point forward. Anyway, I am making this stuff up as I go along, so let me know if you like it or not. **


	4. Movin' On

Chapter 4

Movin' On

"Rory, wait!" Tristan yelled to her as she stormed out of Maxwell's on her way back to her apartment.

She ignored him and continued walking in a huff. She did not want to deal with this right now. She was upset, and she was hurt, and she was even more annoyed that she was letting Logan get to her so much. She should not take it out on Tristan, she knew that, but she just wanted to be alone, at least for a while.

"Please Rory." Tristan said, finally catching up to her and grabbing hold of her arm. The touch of his hand on her bare skin sent chills through Rory, and she begrudgingly turned around and faced him.

"Talk to me Rory." Tristan said, not knowing what to say to comfort her. He could only imagine what it must feel like for her. She was publicly embarrassed by the man she thought she loved. He did not want her to shut him out, and he wanted to make sure she was going to be okay before he left.

Rory stared into his blue eyes and sighed. "Okay, let's talk." Rory said, walking towards the park across the street. She found an empty bench and sat down, looking thoroughly dejected.

"So that was Logan?" Tristan asked her with a small smile.

"Yeah, that was Logan." Rory said shaking her head. "I just…urgh. I knew it was over, and I knew that he was still in town…but seeing him today just made it all so real. They say that ignorance is bliss, and now I am starting to understand why." Rory said, her eyes tearing up.

Tristan looked at her and shook his head. He reached over and wiped a stray tear off her cheek, leaving her skin tingling where he had touched her. "Don't cry over him Rory. He is not good enough for you."

Rory laughed at this comment. "How do you know he is not good enough? I thought I finally found a guy who would live up to everyone's expectations." Rory said angrily.

"Well, nobody who makes you cry is good enough. You need a guy who worships you, challenges you, and makes you feel like there is no one better than you." He said frowning.

"How do you know that is what I need?" Rory asked bitterly. She did not want to hear all of his speculation; she just wanted to be alone.

"Because I know you Rory. I know that in high school I was never that guy, and trust me when I tell you that I wanted to be."

"Yeah right." Rory said, looking away from him.

"It's true. I was deeply and hopelessly in love with you." Tristan said, reddening in embarrassment.

"Then why did you never say anything?"

"I thought I had. I was immature and stupid; I thought that you would pick up on my actions. I was jealous of Dean, and I wanted nothing more for you to be with me." Tristan said, his red face deepening in color.

"I thought you hated me. And then when you kept asking me out it was to prove a point. Like you could get any girl you wanted." Rory replied honestly.

"I know. I went about things all wrong back then. I had a crush on you from the first moment I saw you, and I was not used to being turned down. I did not know how to get your attention, and at least when I was irritating you I knew you thought of me. What can I say, I was a moron." He smiled.

"Well, fortunately that was a long time ago. Thankfully you have grown up since then." Rory said.

"Well…" Tristan started.

"Yes?" Rory said looking at him, her heart skipping a beat.

"Never mind." Tristan said, looking away again.

"No, tell me Tristan." Rory said with pleading eyes.

"I don't think you are ready to hear what I have to say." He said looking into her eyes.

She looked back at him, seeing the truth in his eyes. She had always known it. Tristan Dugrey was in love with her.

"Tell me." Rory said, her hand sliding over on the bench so it touched his.

Tristan let out the breath that he was holding. "I…I still feel that way about you Rory." He said, not wanting to tear his eyes away from her, but wanting to run away all at the same time.

"I…I know." She said, looking back at him.

"What?"

"I know." Rory said, surprising herself.

"What do you mean by 'I know'?" Tristan asked again.

"I don't really know. I mean, I could just feel it…" Rory said, herself turning red.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I am not any good with that kind of stuff. I figured that I was just reading into something that was not there. I thought it may have been wishful thinking. I don't know." Rory sighed.

"Wishful thinking?" Tristan asked interested.

"Well, yes. I don't know. I mean it is obvious that you changed, and I was lonely and heart-broken. It just made me feel better to think that you liked me."

"Rory, you don't know the half of it." Tristan said with a sad smile.

"Do you care to explain it to me then?" Rory asked.

"Not really." Tristan smiled his wicked grin and stood up.

"Hey now! You can't do that to a girl." Rory said, standing up and catching his arm before he turned away.

"Well, I would tell you, but you just broke up with your boyfriend, who you saw tonight and who made you cry. If I told you this now, I would just get lost in your jumble of emotions. I have waited 4 years to tell you this, I can keep on waiting."

"No you can't! You don't know what I am feeling! You have to tell me know. That is just pain evil." Rory said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot in annoyance.

"See that is the beauty of this. I don't have to tell you anything." Tristan said, turning back to her with a smile.

"Yes you do! Tristan Dugrey, you better get over here right now and tell me what you meant by that." Rory could not help but smiling as she said that.

Tristan walked over to her, allowing his body to press up against hers. "You want me over here?" He asked.

Rory gulped, feeling her breath leave her. "Umm, yes." She said, looking up at him.

Tristan leaned in closer "You want me to tell you that I still worship the ground you walk on?" He said, his breath tickling the delicate skin around Rory's ear.

"Yes." Rory said, her voice barely audible.

"You want me to say that every time I see you all I want to do is…" Tristan stopped talking and turned his head so they were once again staring at each other. Tristan did not give Rory time to react. He pulled her into him and kissed her deeply on the lips. Rory's eyes grew wide with shock at the unanticipated kiss. After a minute she was able to find her bearings and she began to kiss him back. She felt Tristan's tongue lick her lips, pleading for access, and Rory parted her lips, allowing him full admission. Rory felt her knees go weak and her heart race. She saw stars, something that she only thought happened in the movies.

Then, just as quickly as it started, Tristan pulled away. He stood there, looking at Rory for a minute before he turned around and started walking away.

Rory stood by the bench in complete shock. She had just experienced the most mind-blowing kiss and now Tristan was just walking away.

"Umm Tristan?" Rory shouted out to him.

He stopped when he heard his name and turned toward her. "Yeah?" He asked casually.

"Where the HELL are you going?" Rory asked.

"Oh, well I figured you had some stuff you wanted to think about, so I thought I would give you some time." Tristan said, playing it cool.

Rory walked up to him, anger flaring in her eyes. She glared at him, wanting nothing more to hit him, but instead he reached up to him and returned his kiss. She mustered all the passion she could, hoping to recreate her experience. She lightly bit on his bottom lip and then pulled away, this time Tristan was the one with the shocked look.

"What was that about?" He asked her, as she casually walked away.

"Oh well, I just figured you had a lot to think about." She said with a smile as she kept walking.

Tristan stood in his place for a moment, and then raced after her.

"What does this mean?" He asked her confused.

"I think it means that we have something called chemistry." Rory said smiling.

"But…I mean, you and me? You like me?" Tristan asked.

"Yes Tristan. I like you. I really like you. I want to be with you. I want us to try to figure this out." Rory said looking into his eyes.

"But what about Logan?"

"What about him? Logan and I are done. You and I are just beginning. You don't have to worry about him." Rory said, leaning towards him, wanting another kiss.

"But.." Tristan objected. Rory held up a finger and silenced him with another kiss.

Once they separated Tristan looked deep into her eyes. "Are you sure you are ready for this Rory?" He asked again.

"Like you said Tristan, this has been four years in the making, I think I can handle it."

"So you want to do this? Really do this? I am not going to be your Logan rebound or anything?"

"Logan who?" Rory said with a smile. "Tristan, you make me feel things that I never thought possible. You challenge me, but you don't want to change me. With Logan I felt I was being manipulated, like I was morphing into a dangerous version of myself. I thought that is what I wanted, but then when things started to get crazy, I knew that something had to change. I was getting into trouble, my mom and I were barely talking, and I was re-thinking my career path...things that I never thought I would do. I think Logan knew that he was bad influence on me, and luckily he had more sense than to stick around. As mad as I am that he did such an idiotic thing to me, I am happy that we ended it before I became totally unrecognizable. Trust me Tristan, things are much better this way."

"He really had you second guessing your major?" Tristan asked in shock.

"Well, more his dad, but yes. His father said I did not have what it takes to make it in the newspaper business. I am setting out to prove him wrong."

"Well then, Tristan's father obviously does not know you at all to make such a ill-informed claim. You are way too ambitious and stubborn to give up that dream."

"You think I am stubborn?" Rory said in mock hurt.

"Oh yes, one of the most stubborn people I know." Tristan said, whispering in her ear. His body pressed up against hers, making her feel electric with energy. He slid his hands down her sides and rested them playfully on her butt. A chill ran though Rory as she looked up at him.

"So four years hu?" Rory said to Tristan with a smile. "I hope it was worth it."

"I would have waited another 40 if I knew that I even stood a chance." Tristan said, kissing her neck. Rory tilted her head to give him better access as she felt his tongue dart out and lick her sensitive skin. She felt him move his hands back up and under her top. Not wanting him to stop, but knowing that they were standing in the middle of the park, Rory pulled away.

"You are going to give me a hicky mister." She said playfully swatting him.

"I will let you return the favor…" Tristan said, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

"In that case, maybe we should continue this in the comfort of my room." Rory said, giving him a wink as she started walking away.

Tristan stood in place for a minute, watching the woman who he had always loved walk ahead of him, inviting him home with her. He was shocked. He was excited. He was happy.

Tristan shook himself out of his daze and caught up to Rory. He casually draped his arm around her shoulder and placed another kiss on her neck. Rory wanted to run the remaining block to her apartment, but she was trying desperately to look calm and collected.

It seemed to take an hour to get to her apartment, and Rory fumbled clumsily with her keys, wanting nothing more than to break down the door to let themselves in. Tristan stood dangerously close to her, his hands wrapped around her waist, and his chin resting on her head. She finally got the door open, and glanced around the apartment. The living room was dark and deserted, and both Paris' and Marty's rooms were dark and empty.

"It looks like we have the place to ourselves." Tristan said, not wanting to break apart from Rory.

"So it would appear." Rory said, turning around to grant him access to her lips. "So where were we?" Rory said, picking up Tristan's hand and placing it under her shirt.

"Ah yes, I think I remember." Tristan said, sliding his hand up her stomach, causing her to shake with want and desire. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her, not wanting to cross any lines with her.

"We don't have to go all the way." Rory said. "We can just have a little fun can't we?" Rory asked.

"I am always up for a little fun." Tristan said, gently biting Rory's neck, which sent waves of pleasure through her.

"Your reputation does not do you justice Mr. Dugrey." Rory said breathlessly leading her way to her room.

"Nor does yours." Tristan said, sitting on her bed, and pulling her onto his lap so she sat straddling him.

Rory bent down and returned his passionate kisses, making sure she did not leave a mark on his neck.

"Uh." Tristan grunted pulling away from her.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" Rory asked confused.

"No, not at all. It's just that I think we had better stop now, otherwise I don't think I will be able to." Tristan said apologetically.

Rory could feel what he meant, as he steadily stiffened under her. She gently stood up and smiled at him. "Do you have anywhere to be tomorrow morning?" She asked him, making sure to keep her eyes focused on his, and not wander down to see the affect she had on him.

"No plans." He squeeked.

"So do you think you may just want to sleep here?" She asked innocently. "I don't mean we have to do anything, I just…I want you to stay." She said.

"Of course. Just let me go to the bathroom and wash up, and I will be back in a minute." Tristan said, carefully standing and walking to the bathroom. He stood looking at himself in the mirror, knowing he would wake up any minute only to find this was all a dream. He splashed cold water on his face, thought about his mother…that always did the trick…and returned back to Rory's room.

Rory had already changed into her pajamas and had removed her makeup and was sitting in the bed waiting for him. Tristan smiled at her, and stripped to his boxers. He climbed under the covers with Rory, and she inched her way over to him so that her back was to his chest. Tristan wrapped his arms around her and let his head rest on her neck. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the soft scent of Rory.

"Thank you Tristan." Rory said before shutting her eyes and drifting to sleep.

"No, thank you Rory." Tristan whispered to her, and then he too closed his eyes.

**Wow, its another chapter! So this one got a little…umm…racy. I do hope that none were offended…**

**Please keep commenting, because you all know I love em!**


	5. Revelations

**Thank you all so much for your reviews…more specifically, coincidence casualty—I agree that they are moving really fast, but as I was writing that chapter, I had no intention of pairing them so soon, but it just seemed to fit right. They were in a park, at night, and I just thought, meh lets do it. Also, good catch with the Tristan/Logan mix-up. For some reason I keep thinking Logan but writing Tristan, and that one slipped up. So to be honest, I would not be surprised if it were to happen again!**

Chapter 5

Revelations

Rory yawned and stretched her arms out to her sides. Her hand hit the solid mass that was Tristan lying beside her.

"Oww" Tristan said rubbing the side of his head where she had mistakenly hit him. "Good morning to you too." He said to her with a smile.

"Sorry about that Tris, I kinda forgot that you were here." Rory admitted.

"Ahh, so now I am forgettable too. You really know how to make a guy feel loved." Tristan said.

"Hey now!" Rory said, inching her way closer to him. She placed a kiss on his temple and then one on his chest by his heart. "Is that better now?" She asked him flirtatiously.

"Well, that was a weak attempt at forgiveness." Tristan said smiling.

Rory grinned back at him, knowing what he meant. She sat up in bed and placed her knees on either side of him so she was straddling his torso. She leaned into him placing a deep kiss on his neck and trailed it over to his mouth. Their lips finally made contact and she passionately deepened the kiss, using her tongue to tantalize his. She smiled seductively and sat back up, while still straddling him beneath her. Tristan grinned and flipped her over so she was lying on her back and he now straddled her.

"Well if that is what I get for a little slap, then I think this relationship may turn abusive." He said, kissing her once again.

"You wish." Rory said, slapping him playfully. "Well mister, let me up so I can go make some coffee. I have been up for 20 minutes now and there is not a drop of caffeine in me, which is not a good sign." She said, sitting up and reaching for her slippers at the side of her bed. Tristan also sat up and found his jeans and slid into them. He remained shirtless as the pair headed out to the kitchen.

"It's about time you woke…" Paris started as she saw Rory emerge from her room. She stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw the shirtless Tristan appear behind her. "Tristan?" Paris said, not knowing how to respond.

"Hi Paris." Tristan said, stepping behind Rory to get himself a cup of coffee.

Paris' eyes darted between Rory and Tristan as if in a high-speed tennis match. She looked utterly dumbfounded, something that Rory rarely witnessed. After a minute of stunned silence, Paris stood up and walked over to Rory, grabbed her arm and dragged her into her room.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Paris nearly shouted.

"Well, I thought I would get some coffee and maybe read the paper." Rory said casually.

"Oh quit the Bambi look and fess up. Since when are you and Tristan sleeping together?"

"Well, we are not 'sleeping together' sleeping together. He spent the night. We are just seeing how things progress. I like him Paris, I really like him."

"You and Huntzberger just broke up like a week ago. This is crazy, even for you Rory." Paris said shaking her head.

"Please don't get mad at me because of this. You and Doyle are happy together right? You are not going to get jealous are you?" Rory asked, not wanting a repeat performance of their high school relationship.

"I am not saying any of this because I am jealous or want Tristan for myself, I am saying this because I am worried about you. Just two weeks ago you were talking about quitting Yale and moving in with your grandparents and now all of a sudden you and Logan are done and Tristan is sleeping in your bed. You are moving dangerously fast Rory, and I don't like it. This is not you." Paris said, tapping her foot in annoyance.

"No, you are wrong Paris. The Rory that was with Logan was not me, the Rory with Tristan is me."

"No, the Rory with Tristan is supposedly a 'Mary.' Not someone who brings home a guy who she just met up with after four years last week! This is insane!"

"Paris, please! I know what I am feeling, and I know what I want. I really like him, and we only have this summer together. I want us to figure things out as we go along, we don't have time to analyze every angle of it beforehand."

"I am just worried that you don't know what you are getting yourself into with him Rory. I know that you dated Logan and he is a breed all his own…but Tristan, he is…I don't know…"

"He is different. He is not the guy we went to high school with. He has changed, and he loves me. He always has, and when I am with him, I feel like the old me, the girl from Chilton who was inexperienced. He makes everything seem new again."

"So I don't have to worry about you?" Paris asked skeptically.

"Until you see me wearing all black, handing out large amounts of Kool-Aid and speaking my own language, I think I should be okay." Rory said.

"Well, you already speak your own language. But seriously Gilmore, you and I are friends now, I am not going to let you make any more stupid mistakes, and if I see one coming, I will be on the phone with your mother faster than you can say 'I love Tristan.'"

"Thank you for looking out for me, but I think this is going to be good." Rory said smiling.

"I hope so, for your sake." Paris said, opening her door.

Tristan stood in the kitchen attempting to make small talk with a very angry looking Marty.

"I didn't know we hand company." He said looking towards the girls. He silently stood up and walked into the bathroom where they heard him turn on the shower.

"That guy needs a woman." Tristan said with a smile.

"That guy thinks he needs a Gilmore." Paris answered.

"What is this? Competition maybe?" Tristan asked Rory.

"No, no competition. He's just protective of me, like a big brother." Rory said.

"Yeah, a big brother that wants in your pants." Paris offered.

Rory shot her a glare that silenced her friend. "You don't have to worry about Marty. We have already had this conversation, things between him and I are strictly platonic."

"Okay, if they weren't at least I know where he lives." Tristan said with a smile.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Paris is right." Lorelai said on the phone to her daughter.

"I am going to pretend that I did not hear that." Rory said sounding annoyed.

"Jesus Rory, look at what you are doing! You and Logan broke up a week ago, and you already have another guy in your bed." Lorelai said, now sounding worried.

"Mother, the same thing happened with Jess. I broke up with Dean and like two hours later I was with Jess." Rory reminded her mother.

"Yes, and see how good that one ended up."

"Oh come on mom, you said it then, it was about time that I had a Jess."

"Yes, but I say a lot of things that I don't know anything about." Lorelai said.

"And you are finally admitting to this now? Where is my tape recorder when I need it? Luke would love to hear that." Rory joked.

"Hey now, quit making fun of the woman who birthed you and lets refocus on you…my young, naive daughter."

"Mother, I am almost 21 years old, and we both know that I am not naïve."

"Well when it comes to matters of the heart, I know that I have more experience than you, and lately you have been making quite a few un-Rory-like choices. I don't want this to be another one." Lorelai said.

"Mom, please trust me. I know that I have made a few stupid mistakes, but I really like this guy, and I want to give it a chance." Rory pleaded with her mother.

"Okay, I will be supportive of this until he does something to prove me wrong…or I guess right in this case." Lorelai said sighing.

"Thank you mom." Rory said.

"Well, don't think you are getting out of it that easy. I will of course have to meet him." Lorelai said, sounding more and more like her own mother.

"You have already met him." Rory said, remembering back in high school.

"Oh yes, but not in this respect…damn, I know I have had this conversation before. This is all so déjà vu-ish." Lorelai said.

"Déjà vu-ish?" Rory said mockingly. "Right, well I will talk to Tristan and we will plan on going home next week sometime."

"Okay, but not on Wednesday."

"What is Wednesday?" Rory asked.

"Oh, um…Luke does not have any early morning deliveries on Thursday…"

"Okay, enough said. I have to work anyway. I think we can probably do Tuesday, but I will have to check with Tristan. I will call you back later and let you know." Rory said.

"Okay good. Bye sweets." Lorelai said, hanging up the phone.

"Bye Mom."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So do you want the good news or the bad news?" Rory asked Tristan later that evening at dinner.

"Let's go with the good first and then bad." Tristan said, reaching for Rory's hand across the table.

"Okay, well the good news is that you get to spend an entire evening with me sometime this week." Rory said smiling.

"And I was not planning on doing this anyway?" Tristan asked with a smile.

"Well, you will get to do this in Stars Hallow." Rory said, coming back with the bad news.

"Oh cool. So what is the bad news?" Tristan asked confused.

"That was the bad news." Rory said, equally confused.

"I don't mind Stars Hallow. Why is that bad news?" Tristan said.

"Well, my mom wants to re-meet you now that we are dating. I would say that she is the epitome of cool, but considering how she has a tendency to strike terror in the hearts of all men who dare mess with her little girl…I am thinking that she may not be as cool around you as she usually is." Rory said.

"No worries, I would love to meet your mother again. I am sure that I left her with a poor impression of me back in high school, and I actually look forward to impressing her with my dazzling wit and intelligent banter." Tristan said with a cocky smile.

"Oh gag me!" Rory said, playfully slapping him. "I thought that ego-maniac was left at Chilton."

"Well, it comes back to haunt me every now and then." Tristan smiled at her. "You know I am kidding. I don't mind going at all. What day were you thinking?"

"Does Tuesday work okay? I think that Mom and I decided it worked best for us."

"Yeah, Tuesday is fine. I will just let my dad know that I have to leave work early."

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I will have to make up for it on Wednesday, but you are working late anyway, so it won't be a big deal."

"Okay, cool. I will tell my mom that we are coming. I think we will probably meet at Luke's around 6, so we will have to leave around 4:30 because of the traffic."

"Sounds fine. I will pick you up at your place…Speaking of your place, how is Marty doing? I am afraid that the guy probably hates me." Tristan said with a knowing grin.

"He does not hate you. I think he did not expect to see you shirtless in the morning. We talked about it, he knows to cool it. I told him he has to stop playing the jealous boyfriend, and he agreed. It is just hard for him, seeing me with other guys when we both know of his feelings." Rory said.

"I know how he feels. Seeing you with Dean throughout high school was like torture. I hated knowing that a guy like him got to be with someone like you."

"What do you mean by that?" Rory asked confused.

"By what?"

"Well you said 'a guy like him,' what do you mean by that?" Rory said.

"I just mean that he did not seem to realize what he had, he took you for granted and he was a jealous slob about it." Tristan said.

"You are right about the jealousy; he took it too far on occasion." Rory agreed.

"Well, if I ever start acting like that please promise me that you will slap me." Tristan laughed.

"I thought we were trying to stay away from resorting to violence." Rory said raising her eyebrow.

"Yes, well we tend to say a lot of things in the heat of passion." Tristan smiled.

Rory laughed and looked him in the eyes. She tried to find signs of what this man had been like in high school, but there was no evidence of that man. He had changed, and she had changed. She was excited to see what their relationship would turn into, and she was anxious about what would develop after the summer ended.

**Wow, two updates in two days! That is just plain crazy. Anyway, you know the drill, please R & R!**


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